Man charged over driveway stabbing

Police are hunting the killer of Otara father-of-four Olo Fiti. Photos / Herald on Sunday, Supplied

A man arrested as he was about to board an international flight at Auckland airport is the sole suspect in the fatal stabbing of father-of-four Olo Fiti, police said today.

The man, 25, was stopped last night at the departure gate as he was set to get on a plane bound for Samoa.

He faces a charge of murder and is due to appear in Manukau District Court tomorrow.

Mr Fiti, 37, was attacked on Friday night outside a friend's home in Preston Rd in the south Auckland suburb of Otara.

Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher said no further arrests were expected at this stage.

"At this point, we're satisfied that there was just one person involved in the attack," he said.

"There is now a man charged in relation to that and there are on-going inquiries in regard to that individual, the events that occurred and his actions in the time following."

Mr Gallagher said police had located two vehicles they were seeking but they were still looking for the weapon used in the stabbing.

Detectives were also interviewing people connected to both the alleged offender and the victim.

Mr Gallagher said the inquiry team believed the incident was not a random attack by a stranger and that there was a connection between the two men.

He praised the co-operation that police received from other agencies in helping with the arrest.

"The means of establishing an alert at the border crossing was very successful and that required co-operation with the customs and immigration services," he said.

"That co-operation enabled flags to be entered. That process was activated when he crossed through the customs and immigration processing areas."

Widow 'baffled'

The victim's pregnant widow last night spoke of the family's grief over the brutal killing. Detectives investigating the case are baffled over the "sudden and vicious attack" that left Olo Fiti dead in the driveway of an Otara house.

Fiti's wife Leinati Tuia told the Herald on Sunday that family also are at a loss to explain why anyone would have wanted to kill her husband. Tuia, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's fifth child, a girl, said the death had hit the family hard - particularly the couple's 4-year-old son, also named Fiti.

"He was closest to his father," she said. "He's really upset. He's been quiet, just sleeping all day and now he keeps asking questions." The couple's other children are aged 2, 6 and 7.

Fiti was dropped off at a house in Preston Rd, Otara, about 11.15pm on Friday where police say he was visiting friends. Neighbours say they heard screams about that time, and one saw Fiti lying near death in the driveway of the house he was visiting.

Tuia's sister Faapaia Tuia said she believed friends Fiti was with on Friday night knew more about the death than they told police. "Judgment will come from above."

Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher said the attack was sudden, but did not appear to be random.

"Mr Fiti was dropped off at the address around 11.15pm, and at the same time was attacked by an offender in the driveway," said Gallagher. "He sustained a number of wounds by a knife of some description."

Gallagher said that Fiti was stabbed repeatedly by one person, "inflicting many serious wounds which caused his death. It was a sudden and vicious attack. We do not know why he was targeted and it is clear he did not engage in any discussion or any arguments with the assailant."

St John Ambulance staff tried to revive Fiti on arrival, but he died at the scene.

Police admitted they had no leads as to why someone would want to kill Fiti although they do believe the attack was premeditated.

Detectives have called for witnesses who saw a silver, early-model Subaru with roof racks driving away from the area quickly moments after the incident occurred.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said he saw the man lying on the road outside the house shortly after the attack. "It looked like there had been an argument and something had happened because I looked outside and there was a fella on the road," he said.

"It wasn't very noisy but I heard something and went to take a look. It didn't take long for the ambulance to come."

Neighbour Moana Adams said the attack has left her scared for her and her children's safety. "My husband said he heard about it last night and said he heard a scream coming from the direction of that house," she said.

"It is really out of the blue for something like this to happen. You don't think it will happen down the road from you. The whole thing freaks me out."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY/NZPA